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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27446770">The Witching Moon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasualObsessions/pseuds/CasualObsessions'>CasualObsessions</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>World of Warcraft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gilneas, Mild Language, POV First Person, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, Worgen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:54:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,246</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27446770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasualObsessions/pseuds/CasualObsessions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ingrid Brightway doesn't care much for the affairs of others, much less royalty. After losing her parents in the Northgate rebellion, she spends most of her time alone. But all that is about to change. The worgen curse has finally reached the city gates, and if she can survive that, far greater trials await her.</p><p>This fanfiction is based on transcriptions of actual quests and in-game encounters experienced while leveling up a worgen druid. I intend to keep it as canon compliant as possible, while still adhering to the story of the worgen and their conflict with Sylvanas. This project is ongoing, and ratings/tags may be subject to change in the future.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anduin Wrynn/Original Female Character(s), Lorna Crowley &amp; Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Bitten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I play a worgen druid named "Ingred" on Wyrmrest Accord. If you spot me, say hello! With your consent, your character could appear in my story!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>I’d made plenty of poor choices in my lifetime, but moving into the city had to be one of the worst. Just when I’d started to grow accustomed to the pretentiousness of my neighbors, they’d begun to turn up in the gutters, torsos shredded by some unknown foe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’d heard the rumors about Arugal’s monsters, but they couldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I mean honestly, who believed that kind of nonsense? I guess that’s why I was here, tucked into the shadows of a building, hoping to hear some truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prince Liam Greymane was addressing the militia. He was handsome in his own way, I supposed. If royalty could be considered as such. Personally I’d always preferred my men to be more… attainable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We protected Gilneas from the Scourge. We protected Gilneas during the Northgate rebellion. We will protect Gilneas from whatever this new threat may be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I examined my nails boredly. There he goes. The same rally speech he’d given every night for the last week. I wasn’t sure how the men still managed to get their chests all puffed over it. I’d stick around a couple more seconds, if he didn’t have anything new to say, I could leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stand ready guards! We don’t know how many intruders we’re dealing with, but the Headlands are overrun and we’re cut off from the harbor towns. Expect to be outnumbered. I want the perimeter secured and the gates manned by two guards at all times. No one gets in, no one gets out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he didn’t know any more than the rest of us. I should have known better than to get my hopes up. Ah, well. Time to go. My crackling fireplace and a mug of chamomile tea were calling my name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You there! Citizen!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Crap</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I froze, hoping it hadn’t been me he’d spotted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dang it</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I turned, feigning innocence as hard as I could. “Yes, sire?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The prince leaned forward over his horse’s withers. “What are you still doing here? Haven’t you heard? The city’s under lockdown.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry sire, I was just…” I stalled for time. “Visiting my sister. She gets horrible arthritis during the winter you see, so she sometimes needs help with her household chores-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait a minute. Don’t I know you from somewhere?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No. Nope. Absolutely not.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I don’t think so, sire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I do. You’re Ingrid, aren’t you? Ingrid Brightway.” A knowing smirk began to slide across his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn it.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I ducked my head. Being drafted into the militia was the last thing I needed right now. “I think you must be mistaking me for someone else, sire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t fool me. Your parents fought in the Northgate rebellion, didn’t they? My father pardoned you cause you were so young.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I hung my head in defeat. “Yes, sire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I remember correctly, you were quite skilled.” Light, his smirk was insufferable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I only ran errands and helped the healers, sire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could definitely use a healer of your caliber these days. Go see Lieutenant Walden. You should accompany the evacuees. A few of them have bites in need of your attention.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that an order, sire?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Step to it recruit! No time to waste,” he teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I pressed my lips together and wrinkled my nose, but I wasn’t exactly in a position to flat out disobey the crown prince. I huffed out a sigh and stalked toward the alley Liam had gestured to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lieutenant!” I announced myself, my hands raised in an exasperated gesture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No answer. Odd.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lieutenant Walden!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I rounded the corner. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, shit.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Walden was dead. So were the two guards stationed with him. I spun, shaping my hands around a wrath bolt. My heart kicked into overdrive. There was no one here. Just me and three corpses. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn it</span>
  </em>
  <span>. This didn’t look good for me. Careful not to disturb the bodies, I leaned forward to examine them. Deep, ragged gashes marred their corpses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My blood chilled in my veins and goosebumps prickled at the back of my neck. I should let Liam know. It was the best way to absolve myself of guilt and minimize the scrutiny they put me under.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A cry of terror split the stillness, followed immediately by the snarl of some kind of animal and the sounds of fighting. I rushed back out to the market square. All hell had broken loose. Worgen were everywhere, attacking the militia and causing general destruction wherever they could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I stood there, my mouth half open in disbelief. So it was true. The worgen were behind the attacks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are they coming from?!” Liam shouted, “Nevermind. Ingrid, help me! Evacuate the civilians!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I bit down on my lip and hurriedly gathered the scraps of my resolve, pushing past the militia towards the townhouses across the square.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me!” A sharply dressed woman beckoned me over. It took me a few seconds to remember her name. Gwen Armstead, the mayor of Duskhaven.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Without supplies from the mainland we won’t last the winter. Salvage what rations you can!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded. There wasn’t time to argue. I rounded on a worgen breaking into a crate of dried meats. With a quick gesture, I called down the moon’s fire and quickly finished him off with several wrath bolts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blood pulsed heavy in my veins. I hadn’t seen combat like this in nearly a decade, and I’d never used combat magic on a living opponent before. I stuffed my panic to the back of my mind and knocked on the nearest door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A young woman exploded out of it. “It’s after me!” she cried, terrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I dispatched the worgen chasing her quickly, resisting my own urge to scream. I fought a third worgen away from a box of potions and headed for the next door. This time, when a worgen chased after the resident, I was ready.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They weren’t any less terrifying, but my confidence in my own skill was beginning to stabilize. I dispatched two more worgen and gathered a couple more crates for Gwen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That should be everyone, it’s time you left!” Liam yelled as he plunged his rapier through the heart of another worgen. “Gwen and the rest of the guard are in the military district. You should be with them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t have to tell me twice. I high-tailed it across the bridge towards the military district, scattering a flock of crows in my wake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen waved me over, “Good to see you unharmed. Most of us made it here alive, but there are worgen in this part of the city too. We’ll hold here until everyone is accounted for and then continue south.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the meantime, that harvest-witch, Celestine, was asking for you. The wind knows your name, apparently. Hurry back. We’ll need your help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I knew Celestine. She’d practically raised me after my parents had been killed in the rebellion. Her voice was a welcome comfort as I approached. “Ingrid! You had me worried. Thank the Light.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanted to see me?” I asked, trying to ease my nerves by rubbing my arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She cupped my face and pressed a kiss to the center of my forehead. “You’ve come so far. It’s been brought to my attention that there’s nothing more I can teach you. You went and became a proper druid when my back was turned.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shook my head vehemently, “I’m not ready. I barely held it together back there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, but you did hold it together. There’s no time for uncertainty, my dear.” She squished my cheeks in a gesture I assumed was meant to be reassuring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But, Celestine-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, ah, ah. No buts. Go on ahead. King Greymane needs you more than we do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My insides turned to liquid, “You should go. I’ll stay here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nonsense. Go on, I’ll explain to Gwen,” She waved me onward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What a right nasty mess I’d gotten myself in. I should be at home. Safe in bed. Except my home was probably full of rampaging worgen by now. I ignored the lump in my throat. I didn’t have time for tears. Meeting the king with puffy eyes was the last thing I needed right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I dragged my feet as I crossed the last street. To my right, the Stoneward Prison yard was in absolute chaos. Guards were fighting endless waves of worgen. I squeezed my eyes shut, but I could still hear the sounds of fighting from all directions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I cleared my throat, “Sire? Celestine sent me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Citizen, I’m rather busy-” he stopped mid sentence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I lifted my head to see what had distracted him. He was staring right at me. I averted my eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re that rebel girl, aren’t you? I’m sorry, I’ve quite forgotten your name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ingrid, sire,” I supplied weakly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah! Yes. Light bless Celestine, you’re exactly the person we need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am, sire?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely. You remember Lord Darius Crowley?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded. He wasn’t an easy man to forget.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Before the civil war, I called him friend. I never blamed him for leading an insurrection against me after I separated his lands and people from Gilneas with the wall. I wish it could have been different, but we had no choice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Regardless,” he continued, “Crowley is exactly the type of person we need right now. I need you to ask Captain Broderick about his whereabouts. I’d send my own men, but there’s still bad blood. You’re the perfect go between.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bah! We ought to leave Crowley in prison with those beasts,” Lord Godfrey scoffed from the king’s side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enough! I’ve made up my mind. We need Crowley on our side.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tch.” Godfrey beckoned me over with one finger, “While you’re at it, kill as many of those worgen as you can, will you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I swallowed hard, but nodded. Would this night ever end? I fought my way through the rampaging worgen to the guard tower. Captain Broderick was standing at the bottom of the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” I said, pausing to help him dispatch the worgen he was fighting. “I need to know where I can find Crowley.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The captain gave me an odd look, “I don’t understand why the king has you wasting your time on Crowley, but that’s none of my business.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn right, it wasn’t.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“He and his men are holed up upstairs. They’re probably plotting against us as we speak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shot him a dirty look and checked his shoulder as I slipped past him. Crowley was a good man. I’d heard them talk about him like this all my life, and I was getting real sick of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I fought through a handful of more worgen when I reached the roof. Around the corner, I spotted Crowley and several others. I recognized Tobias Mistmantle. I remembered being somewhat infatuated with him when I was six.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I knew Vincent Hersham from the time he spent helping me out in the healing tents when I was a girl. He was bent over someone. I jogged closer, and stumbled to a stop when I recognized the prone body of Sean Dempsey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sean was one of my father’s friends. He’d offered to take me in after they’d passed. Of course that couldn’t continue after his arrest, and I was brought to Celestine instead. Still, that didn’t change the fact that Sean was family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ingrid, what are you doing here?” Crowley barked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, the king sent me to find you,” I explained belatedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? After everything he did, he expects me to just-” A worgen leapt over the railing and attacked him. “Argh, nevermind! Can you fight?” He shoved the worgen back over the railing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, a little, I guess?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good enough. We can’t move Dempsey until Hersham’s stabilized the bleeding. Help Tobias and I hold them off until then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I wanted to argue, but I didn’t have time as three more worgen leapt over from the neighboring roof. I spun to face them, calling moonfire and wrath to my fingertips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt good to be among the rebels again. It felt like home. I fought harder than I ever had before in my life. Crowley and Tobias fought alongside me. Together we pushed back the worgen long enough for Vincent to stabilize Sean.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got him, let’s go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As we pushed back the last worgen alpha, I felt like my skin had loosened around me. It was as if I could shape it into something else if I wished. I didn’t have time to think about it. Together with Vincent I helped Sean to his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For the first time since the civil war, I agree with Greymane.” Crowley was saying, “It’s time we put aside our quarrel. These beasts don’t care whether you’re rebel or royal. Go back to Genn. Tell him that my men will join his. There’s a safehouse not far from here, in Josiah Avery’s cellar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My lads have some heavy artillery there.” Crowley took Sean’s arm from me, “Tell the king our arsenal is at his disposal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded my understanding and headed back the way I’d come, clearing the way of worgen as I went. The king sat up to attention as I approached.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a safehouse, at Josiah Avery’s. Crowley says he has heavy artillery stashed there we can use.” I managed, taking a few seconds to catch my breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, get over there! No time to waste!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shot the king an incredulous look before I could stop myself. I wasn’t anybody’s errand girl anymore. He could at least manage a ‘please’ in there somewhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I ducked my head, “Yes, sire!” I turned on my heel and jogged in the direction of the cellar before my dirty look could get me in any more trouble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This part of the city was quiet. Perhaps a little too quiet. I knocked on Josiah’s door. “Josiah Avery? Crowley sent me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No answer. I walked around to the cellar. The padlock that normally kept it closed was unlocked. Something didn’t feel right. I pulled open the doors and coughed on the dust that billowed into my face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ducking cobwebs, I descended the stairs. “Josiah, are you in here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t answer, but I heard an odd snuffling in the corner. It sounded almost like crying. I stepped farther in and spotted him cowering there with his back to me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Josiah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My face, what’s wrong with my face?!” He cried. A chill went down my spine. I took a step closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My hands… don’t look at me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I reached for his shoulder. “Josiah, what’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He jerked away from my touch. “Don’t come near me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a healer, maybe I can help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t… fight it!” He whirled to face me, his body changing, twisting, towering over mine. His face stretched, and his teeth grew to fangs. He bit down on my shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I cried out in agony as his new canines ripped through my flesh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My scream seemed to grant him a moment of clarity and he shoved me away from him, back towards the stairwell. “I told you to stay away!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I landed haphazardly on the ground and started to scramble backwards. He dropped onto all fours and began to stalk towards me. I let out a yelp of terror and struggled to stand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before I could make it to my feet, a gunshot sounded over my shoulder. I startled violently, but relief hit me in the same instant as Josiah collapsed and didn’t move again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I twisted to see my savior. “Lorna!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, stranger!” She leaned down and offered me a hand up, “He turned into one of them… didn’t he? Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I examined my ruined shoulder. My shirt was torn, and a fair amount of blood oozed from the bite. I cast a hurried healing spell on it. The pain dulled almost immediately and the swelling diminished, but the puncture marks hadn’t closed entirely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was probably nothing, but it sure stung a bit. “I’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do we even begin to fight an enemy that can do this to us? My father’s arsenal is a good start, I suppose, but I’ll need help moving it all out of the cellar. Here, take one of my mastiffs. He’ll help you spot any hidden worgen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She handed me the leash to one of the massive dogs at her side. “When you’ve cleared the area, have the king send his men to help me move all this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will do,” I started up the stairwell. When I reached the top I turned to look down at her. “Lorna? It’s good to see you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lorna smiled at me, and for just a moment, it was like we were little girls again, causing general mischief and stealing supplies from the king’s militia. “It’s good to see you too, Ingrid.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Turned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hi everyone! Sorry about the delay, I am notoriously bad at updating, but I will try to get a chapter up every month from now on. :)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It disturbs me somewhat that Crowley had enough artillery to level half the city stashed right under my nose.” The king said. I wasn’t sure whether he was addressing me or not.</p><p>I’d cleared out the hidden worgen and helped the king’s men wrestle the cannons up the stairs to the street. My sweat-slick clothes clung to my body, and my muscles had already begun to ache. I wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow morning.</p><p>Greymane dismounted and turned to address me, “You look tired.”</p><p><em> I wonder why. </em> I nodded, trying not to express my irritation at the statement.</p><p>“We’re ready,” the king went on, “But I won’t open fire with a civilian in the way. Take my horse and save Krennan Aranas. My daughter Tess owes him her life, it’s past time I returned the favor.”</p><p>I took his horse’s reins from him and vaulted into the saddle, grunting at the pain in my shoulder. “Why me, sire?”</p><p>“Because you’ve earned my trust.” Greymane brought one hand down on his horse’s flank and it whinnied, lunging forward and leaping over the barricade.</p><p>I tried not to panic as a veritable army of worgen raced after me, biting and clawing at the horse and my legs. I kicked one of them in the face, and pulled the king’s horse to a stop under a tree.</p><p>Krennan clung to a branch, struggling to keep his feet out of the mouths of the ravenous worgen.</p><p>“I’ve got you!” I called, extending a hand to steady him as he dropped down onto the back of the horse. I had to give the poor creature credit, any other horse would have thrown me by now. I urged it into a gallop and we escaped together, jumping the barricade.</p><p>I dismounted and helped Krennan down, checking first him, then the horse, for serious injuries. Much to my relief, they’d only sustained minor scratches.</p><p>“Thank you,” Krennan said, “I owe you my life.”</p><p>I nodded, “I’m just glad we both made it.”</p><p>“We’ve got Aranas!” Godfrey shouted, “Fire at will!”</p><p>The cannons were deafening, but I could barely hear them over the blood rushing in my ears.</p><p>“You there! Keep falling back. Take Aranas and meet the king in Greymane Court.”</p><p>As much as I hated being ordered around, the order to retreat was a welcome one. I took Krennan’s arm and headed the way I’d been directed. As we walked, I noticed some of the worgen fighting the guards were wearing clothes.</p><p>Not the shredded, mud stained pants that I’d noticed earlier in the evening, but Gilnean finery. They were my fellow citizens, turned against us. A potent mix of anger, fear, and despair chewed at the edges of my mind, but I couldn’t risk slowing down to help the guards. We had to evacuate as many people as possible. If only we knew how the curse was spread.</p><p>As I approached, I could hear the king going over the situation with Crowley.</p><p>“If we can make it past the gates into Duskhaven, we’ll be safe. The eastern mountains are virtually impassable.”</p><p>“We need to keep the worgens’ attention in the city, Genn. It’s the only shot we have for the survivors to make it to Duskhaven,” Crowley pointed out.</p><p>“I’ll stay behind with the royal guard, father. It is my duty to Gilneas,” Liam interjected.</p><p>For a second, I agreed with him. He’d already been fighting the worgen for weeks. He had the experience. When Crowley interceded, however, I realized I was being foolish.</p><p>“Not a chance, boy. Gilneas is going to need its king’s undivided attention. Can’t have your father wondering whether his child is alive or not. My men and I will hole up inside the Light’s Dawn Cathedral. I’ve already given the order and the cannons are on their way. Lead our people well, Genn.”</p><p>The king’s shoulders sagged with relief. “We were fools to take up arms against each other, Darius. The worgen would’ve never stood a chance.”</p><p>“I’ll go with you,” I announced, before I’d thought it all the way through. Dammit. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.</p><p>Crowley gave me a long look. “If you’re going to stay, I’d be a fool to turn you away.”</p><p>I couldn’t take it back now without looking like a coward. “I’m staying.”</p><p>“Very well. You and I will round up as many of them as we can. Every worgen chasing us is one less going after the civilians.”</p><p>I swallowed my dread as Crowley helped me onto his horse. <em> Not this again. </em> He twisted around and held out a torch towards me. Great. It was bad enough that I was about to galloping through a worgen infested courtyard in the middle of the night, and now I had to hold a lure. <em> Too late to back out now. </em></p><p>For the second time that night I found myself on the back of a horse, galloping through a massive worgen pack. I waved the torch back and forth, the fingers of one hand balled into a fist around a handful of Crowley’s coat.</p><p>When we broke free of the worgen and darted up the cathedral stairs between cannons, I couldn’t get off the horse fast enough. I brought down a worgen that had followed us with a trio of wrath bolts and tried to shake off the adrenaline. I felt light-headed and slightly nauseous.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Tobias asked. He was standing near the cathedral doors with a musket at the ready to ward off any worgen who broke past the cannons. Crowley had already gone inside.</p><p>I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.</p><p>“I’m gonna need you to pull through. We can’t give up now.”</p><p>I raised my gaze to meet his. I was beginning to remember why I’d liked him so much when I was six.</p><p>“I need you to man one of the cannons. We need to take their numbers down a peg if we’re to last much longer.”</p><p>I nodded again, drew in a steadying breath, and jogged over to one of the cannons. I lifted my torch, gripping it tight to hide the shake in my hands, and lit the fuse. The blast left my ears ringing, but there wasn’t time to recover. I hefted one of the cannon balls down the barrel, waved over one of the other cannoneers to show me how to reset the fuse, and lit it again.</p><p>I fired the cannon a few more times, my head ringing from the blasts. I wished I felt triumphant, but I was beginning to go numb from exhaustion.</p><p>A hand came down on my shoulder, a firm grim hauling me away from the cannon. I whirled, pulling a wrath bolt to my fingers, but it was only Tobias.</p><p>“We’re nearly out of ammo,” he said, “We won’t want to be out here when it runs out completely. Alert Crowley.”</p><p>I couldn’t shake the feeling that Tobias was trying to protect me from the inevitable massacre, but I didn’t argue with him. I nearly tripped over my feet as I rushed to the doors and then through them.</p><p>As soon as they thudded shut behind me, I doubled over, my hands on my knees. I swallowed hard against my nausea. My head ached, hell, my whole body ached. Something didn’t feel right. Maybe I was just stressed. Any normal person would be freaked out. I pushed my dread from my mind. I was fine. At least as fine as anyone could be expected to be.</p><p>I stepped around the wall just inside the door and strode towards Crowley up on the dias. </p><p>“They’re running out of ammo,” I told him, trying to catch breath that I shouldn’t be out of.</p><p>Crowley signalled a pair of his sharpshooters, and they ran towards the door, hopefully to cover Tobias and his mens’ retreat.</p><p>“The cathedral can be a choke point. We'll make our last stand here.”</p><p>The sharpshooters returned, trailed by weary cannoneers. I watched, breathing a sigh of relief when Tobias stumbled through the door, bringing up the rear. He was in turn trailed by a pack of worgen they’d run out of ammo to fight against.</p><p>I straightened to my full height, drawing moonfire down from the heavens on a worgen that was a bit too close on Tobias’ heels. I was the only one in the building whose ability to fight at range could last for any length of time. I had to hold it together as long as possible.</p><p>I brought down a second, and then a third, pushing myself to keep going. I lost count of how many I brought down, but they just kept coming. Wait no, I counted again. Were there less than there had been a second ago?</p><p>I focused my attention on the door, but no more worgen came rushing in. A few moments later Tobias felled the last straggler. I fought against a rush of vertigo and blinked my eyes, the room suddenly far too bright.</p><p>“They… They’ve stopped coming,” Crowley said.</p><p>“Isn’t that a good thing, Sir?” I managed through the fog in my head.</p><p>“No, Ingrid. That is most certainly not a good thing.”</p><p>I doubled over again, my hands on my knees as a wave of pain hit me hard, sinking deep into my bones. I couldn’t hold back the rough groan that tore from my throat.</p><p>“Ingrid?” Tobias’ voice seemed to come from far away, muffled by several walls.</p><p>I could feel myself stretching. First, only my limbs, then my face and teeth. My eyes burned and claws punched out of my fingertips.</p><p>The crash of breaking glass had my ears flicking towards the noise. Three worgen exploded into the cathedral from somewhere on the roof, and I was unable to hold back the scream that erupted from me as my once flat face pulled out into a muzzle.</p><p>My voice sounded strange to me, warping from a scream to a howl halfway through. I crumpled to the floor, chest heaving, my breath making a rough wuffling sound as it left me. I could hear, and smell, the other worgen around me, renewing their onslaught.</p><p>“Ingrid!” Someone, a man, important to the woman I had once been, shouted at me.</p><p>A hand landed on my shoulder, its grip familiar and firm. “Ingrid, are you alright?”</p><p>I peeled back my lips, bearing my teeth. I could hear his pulse, smell his sweat. I lunged for him, my claws tearing across his torso.</p><p>His blood stained my white fur red, and all conscious thought left me as I dropped to all fours and gave in to the ferocity that overtook me. The next few minutes passed in a haze of red and the tang of blood and gunpowder.</p><p>Something big hit me and pinned me to the floor. I snarled, thrashing and snapping as I tried to get me teeth or claws into my opponent, but to no avail. Whoever it was was tremendously stronger than I was. Or perhaps there were more than one? I was too enraged to tell. Something struck me in the head, hard, and the world turned dark.</p><p> </p><p>I came to in a cage. The smell of earth surrounded me and the ground near the grate was damp with rainwater. There was something else, just under the smell of rain on the earth. A man. One I recognized, but not one I could place. I knew I didn’t like him.</p><p>I crept closer to the bars, watching him approach. I snarled, baring my teeth at him, and fantasized about pulling him through the bars and taking a bite out of him.</p><p>He stopped just a little way out of reach. Too bad. “Look at what you’ve become. Those cursed beasts. They’ve left you nothing more than just another wretched mongrel.”</p><p>His words said he was sorry for me, but I knew he wasn’t. This man didn’t have a tear left to shed. I growled, daring him to take a step closer.</p><p>“Do you even remember what you did to your friends?”</p><p>Remorse stabbed at me as I remembered the way terror had flashed across Tobias’ face. But I could still feel his blood on my claws, and for a moment, I wished I’d gotten my teeth into him instead. What might his blood have tasted like?</p><p>The man was still talking, and he’d taken a step closer to the bars. I flicked my ears forward in anticipation, a growl rumbling in my chest.</p><p>“Your kind, haunting the wilds, unchecked. Until we found you. They’ve kept you alive, because they still believe you can be saved.”</p><p>He leaned in, his face perilously close to the bars, and my muscles bunched to lunge for him.</p><p>“To which I must ask, is there even a shred of humanity left within you?”</p><p>For a tense second, I remained frozen, preparing to pounce. A nagging feeling kept digging at the back of my mind. He wasn’t worth it. His blood was probably sour anyway, since he clearly didn’t have a heart to pump it. I shrank away from the grate, sinking back into the shadows.</p><p>“Perhaps. We will find out. Soon enough.”</p><p> </p><p>I couldn’t tell how much time had passed, as the moments my conscious mind was alert were short and few. But I was awake when the king, Krennan, and a few guards arrived outside my cage. Krennan added something to a small jar, shook it, uncorked it, and tossed it deftly between the bars of my cage.</p><p>I shrank back, but instead of exploding or breaking when it hit the muddy ground, the jar began to emit a strange smelling white smoke. By the time I realized what it was, it was too late for me to do anything against it.</p><p>Drowsiness settled over me rapidly, and I was hurriedly hauled out of the cage and drug a short ways away. My neck and arms were restrained, and the fog that had come over me was already lifting when the lock clicked shut on one side. I bared my teeth at the men gathered before me and thrashed against my bonds.</p><p>A few of the guards stepped back, but neither the king nor Krennan so much as flinched.</p><p>“I am not giving up on you,” Krennan said, retrieving a vial from the pocket of his robes. “I don’t have a cure for the curse yet… but there are treatments. You will have control again.”</p><p>The man who’d spoken to me earlier, I remembered him now as Godfrey, scoffed. “Give it up Krennan. It’s time to put this one down. It’s protocol.”</p><p>King Greymane rounded on Godfrey. “Tell me, Godfrey. Those that stayed in Gilneas City so that we could live. Were they following protocol?”</p><p>Godfrey narrowed his eyes, but didn’t answer.</p><p>“I didn’t think so. Now hand me that potion, Krennan... and double to dosage.”</p><p>He took the necessary vials from Krennan and approached me. My hackles rose and I showed him my teeth.</p><p>“I need you to pull through, Ingrid. This dosage is strong enough to kill a horse, but I know you. You’ve already shown me plenty of times what you’re made of. You will be fine.”</p><p>He reached towards me, and I snapped at his hands. Greymane grabbed the bottom of my jaw and forced the skin of my lips between my teeth. I had to open up or risk injuring myself. I almost bit through my lip to bite him anyways, but like before, with Godfrey, a nagging voice at the back of my mind made me resist.</p><p>“Trust me, I know what you’re going through,” the king said, “drink up and close your eyes.” He poured the contents of the vials between my teeth.</p><p> </p><p>My mind went fuzzy again, and then started to clear. But this time, instead of stopping merely at alert, it kept going. I began to feel more self aware, and as that occurred, my other memories flowed back to me. Guilt and sorrow twisted in my stomach.</p><p>When I opened my eyes, the king and Krennan had gone. Godfrey was still standing there, a shotgun leveled at my head. He stared thoughtfully into my eyes.</p><p>“So Krennan’s potion did not kill you? I suppose that means whatever meager humanity you have left is in control now. Looks like I won’t be shooting you after all. At least not yet.”</p><p>He lowered the gun, but didn’t put it down as he circled around and unlocked my restraints.</p><p>“Go speak to Krennan. He’s in the house where we keep… your kind. Just remember I’ve got my eye on you. You so much as try anything funny and you’ll get a bullet between the eyes.”</p><p>I made my way into the village, thinking about how I both loathed Godfrey, and understood him. It would be normal for me to see reactions of fear and disgust from my own people now. They wouldn’t remember that I helped them escape, only that now I looked like one of the monsters that had driven them from their homes.</p><p>I found the house I’d been directed to by a combination of smell and the way everyone else in town seemed to be avoiding it. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.</p><p>“It worked! By the light, it worked!” Krennan exclaimed when he saw me.</p><p>“Welcome back, Ingrid.” Gwen greeted me. It made me feel better that the mayor of the town welcomed me, even if some of its residents might not.</p><p>“You were fortunate,” she went on, “Krennan’s treatment doesn’t always work this well for people who’ve had the curse as long as you.”</p><p>“Do exercise caution, and don’t expect anyone to invite you into their homes just yet. At least they won’t shoot you outright.”</p><p>I snorted and rolled my eyes. <em> Wonderful. </em> I would be lucky if someone didn’t fire on me within the week.</p><p>“The effects of the curse cannot ever be fully cured as far as we know,” Krennan explained. “With treatment, however, your mind will remain yours and not that of a wild animal. We are fortunate that the treatment worked for you. Normally, I can only treat recent infections.”</p><p>“What about Tobias?” I interrupted, it was the only thought that had managed to penetrate the haze of the past few days. “Is he…?”</p><p>Krennan averted his gaze. “I’m sorry. He, Crowley, and a number of their allies are unaccounted for. It’s likely they were turned.”</p><p>I swallowed around the lump in my throat. He didn’t know about what I’d done to Tobias. The chance he was alive at all was slim.</p><p>“We’ll need to continue your medication if we’re to reverse the curse,” Krennan continued softly after a pause. “I will need mandrake essence to brew another batch of serum for everyone. There is a crate stashed beneath a shed Southwest of town.”</p><p>I considered snapping at him to get someone else to be his errand girl, but I didn’t think I could stand another second in this house.</p><p>I ventured down to the shed Krennan had described. It didn’t make a lot of sense to store it all the way out here, rather than in the town proper.</p><p>As I drew closer, I realized something wasn’t right. The crate had been broken open, and most of the bottles within had been smashed. There was the body of a slain watchman nearby. He had a knife in his back. </p><p>I bent down to inspect him. The whole area smelled excessively of death. The knife itself didn’t look Gilnean, and it wasn’t typical for feral worgen, or “beasts” as Godfrey liked to call us, to use knives. I grimaced, remembering I was one of them now.</p><p>I reached for a few of the stray bottles, searching for one that might be intact. I had better report this to somebody. They’d probably blame me, but I thought even Godfrey would be smart enough to know a rampaging worgen wouldn’t have bothered with a knife.</p><p>It was when I straightened again that I saw the ships. They weren’t Gilnean ships, not with the massive skulls at the prow like that. Judging by the guard at my feet, they weren’t friendly either. I definitely needed to report this to somebody.</p><p>I heaved a sigh. So much for adjusting to my new lifestyle.</p><p>I bent over the guard one more time to gather any more details that I could. I was disrupted by a rasping, garbled voice from behind me.</p><p>“Gilneas will soon belong to the Forsaken!”</p><p>I narrowly dodged the knife aimed at my back and pulled on magic I knew I still had, somewhere. The wrath bolt came easily to my fingers. Perhaps even more easily than it had before I’d become a worgen.</p><p>When the proclaimed Forsaken lay dead at my feet, I examined her more closely. I reeled back, grimacing. She was rank. More so even than the dead guard who lay to the other side of me.</p><p>Her body had begun to rot away, the bones of her elbows and knees exposed.</p><p>I supposed horror was ironic, coming from me, but this was something different. Unnatural. I may be a monster, but at least I was still alive.</p><p>I closed my hand tighter around the bottle of mandrake essence I’d managed to find unbroken and sprinted all the way back to Duskhaven.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Invasion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>April's installment! See you guys again soon. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“The reefs have always protected us from a coastal attack,” Gwen said after I’d recounted what I’d seen. “The earthquakes must’ve opened a passage for the Forsaken ships.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Earthquakes?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Perhaps they’d started while I was still out of it. My memories of the night I’d changed were clear, but everything between then and now was still patchy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quick, Ingrid. Slow down the attackers while I rally the militia. I think I can hear the prince and some of our men engaging the Forsaken already. Speak to Liam and see if you can be of use.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I turned to go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh and Ingrid? Make sure he doesn’t get himself killed. I’m afraid he might be a little reckless in his current state.”</span>
</p><p><em><span>In his current state?</span></em> <em><span>Had he been turned like me?</span></em><span> I headed out the door and darted between houses. It wasn’t difficult to find Liam by following the incessant yelling. I couldn’t understand for the life of me why he felt the need to always be so loud.</span></p><p>
  <span>I found him and a handful of armed guards fighting a steady tide of Forsaken. Liam wasn’t a worgen. He was, however, missing his shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I made a point of not looking at him too closely and approached. “Gwen sent me, what do you need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ingrid! I’m still not sure if you’re alive or dead… human or worgen… I’m not even sure I’m really awake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah.</span>
  </em>
  <span> That must have been the state Gwen had been referring to. I wondered if Liam had managed to get any sleep at all between the worgen and now the Forsaken.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But this I am sure of… We’re going to kill a great many of these motherless forsaken.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I raised my eyebrows. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Alrighty then.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I still resented him a little bit for getting me into this mess, but I had to admit if he hadn’t there was a good chance I’d be dead. He also hadn’t flinched at my appearance, despite his rather awkward greeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The big fat ones, abominations, I’ve heard them called. They don’t go down easy, so stay clear of them. But I have an idea. It might work, or it might get you killed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seems like his inspirational speech capabilities were limited when he was this tired.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But hear me out! There are barrels full of gunpowder beneath sheds and windmills. Grab them, toss them at the abominations’ heads. I’ll take care of the rest with this trusty old blunderbuss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I turned toward the invading undead, feeling a familiar ferocity grip me. My heart leapt into my throat and I backed up a couple of steps, terrified that I would become the beast that I’d been only yesterday.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Scared? Of these old bags of bones?” Liam taunted, “You survived far worse at the claws of the worgen. Get out there recruit, and show them what we’re made of!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I grit my teeth, annoyance at his jab only fueling the prey drive building in my stomach. He was right, unfortunately. The human residents already didn’t like me. If I couldn’t prove I was worth keeping around, what good was I?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I lunged into the fray, and my skin slipped around me. I remembered feeling this before, on the roof with Crowley. Before I could register what was happening, I was on all fours, slinking out behind enemy lines.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked down at my front feet, but didn’t see the long taloned fingers I had yet to adapt to. Instead, pressing into the ground below me, there were a large pair of cat’s paws.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I remembered something Celestine had told me when I was still a little girl, about how powerful druids could change their shape. Joy bubbled in my chest as I slunk through the shadows towards my target.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A cat would still stand out in a crowd, but at least it wouldn’t be traumatizing to the majority of Gilneans. Or to me. I would much rather remain a cat for the foreseeable future than have to gaze at the reflection of a worgen every day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I pounced on the nearest forsaken and found myself almost surprised by how easily he came apart beneath my claws. Maybe the prince was right, and they were nothing to be afraid of, despite the smell. I wrinkled my nose and snarled slightly before I moved on to the next target.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had to shift out of cat form in order to throw the barrels of gunpowder accurately onto the abomination’s heads, but I shifted back into it as soon as possible, and before long, headed back towards Liam as the Forsaken’s ranks began to thin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for your help,” Liam said as he beat a Forsaken over the head with a broken wine bottle. “Take this, you’ve earned it. We’re holding steady here, go find Gwen and see if she needs any help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I took the unbroken bottles of Dalaran Noir he offered me and made my way back to Gwen. When I stumbled through her door I shifted back into my worgen form and grabbed a corkscrew that had been left on a nearby table. I opened one of the bottles of wine the prince had given me and knocked back a couple of swigs, not bothering to find a glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The alcohol content was pretty low, but it was something, which was better than nothing, I supposed. “They’re,” I paused to catch my breath, “They’re holding steady, is there anything else you need me to do?” Light I still wasn’t used to the roughness of my voice now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen eyed my bottle like she could use some wine as well, and I passed her one of my unopened ones. I definitely didn’t need five. Not if I wanted to wake up without a hangover.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She opened the bottle and took a few swallows much like I had. “Thanks. It has been a hell of a night.” After a few more sips, she continued. “I think we’re all good here. Go check in with Godfrey in the Allen’s basement, they’re behind enemy lines so they might need help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I groaned inwardly at the mention of Godfrey, but nodded and ducked back out through the door, hauling my wine with me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When I padded down the stairs into the Allen’s basement, everyone stiffened, and I decided that yes, for the foreseeable future, when I had to interact with humans, I would do it in my cat form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Godfrey’s gaze raked over me scathingly, and I wished I could fall through the floorboards and die. Unfortunately, it seemed like that wasn’t an option, so I simply glared back at him and moved further into the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gwen sent me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like the idea of your kind among our ranks,” Godfrey started. “It’s only a matter of time before Krennan’s concoction wears off and you’re trying to chomp our heads off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If I’d disliked him before, I hated him now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still, if someone’s going to be stabbed regardless, better you than me, I suppose. And we could make use of your ferocity. Kill as many of those Forsaken as you can, in as brutal a way as your beastial little heart desires. Make them fear us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you survive,” he went on, “Make yourself useful and use the catapults to board their ships and assassinate the captains.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I stared at him, and when he didn’t amend his statement, I rolled my eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course this jerk wants me to launch myself out of a catapult.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I might’ve flat out told him no if it weren’t for the other civilians gathered in the basement. They were afraid of me, yes. But despite Godfrey’s posturing, they knew I might be their only hope. The lingering light in their eyes sparked my own hope. If I could convince them that I was here to help and not harm them, perhaps they would begin to accept me again, like they would have a few days ago. I turned to leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait! Please-” a woman I’d never met called after me. She started and backed away several steps when I turned to face her, and I did my best to appear harmless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I waited patiently for her to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The military won’t let me leave the cellar,” she began in a small voice. “But my children are still on the farm somewhere. The Forsaken have no regard for innocent life, they’re in great danger! Their names are Cynthia, Ashley, and James, please help me find them. Send them here to me and I’ll be forever in your debt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded and turned back toward the stairs, slipping into my cat form on the way up. Hopefully the children would find this form more inviting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>James wasn’t far from the cellar, I found him wandering in the garden next to his house. I approached him slowly, trying not to startle him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mother’s in the basement next door, get to her now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy trembled, so much for the cat form not scaring him. “Don’t hurt me, I was just looking for my sisters! I think Ashley’s still inside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>James edged around me and rushed off toward the Allen’s basement. I slunk around the house and dispatched several Forsaken as I entered the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I found Ashley upstairs, hidden under the bed. “Join the others in the basement next door, hurry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashley wasn’t as frightened of me as the others were, and I received a few head pats for my efforts. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you one of the good worgen, ma’am? Did you see Cynthia hiding in the sheds outside?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She ran past me before I could answer. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What gave me away?</span>
  </em>
  <span> I wondered if this kid had even seen a worgen before. I supposed a talking cat could be perceived as similar to a humanoid dog if you were a child.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I headed back downstairs and darted out into the cornfields, easily bringing down any Forsaken that got between me and the sheds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cynthia was tucked into the side of one of the sheds just like her sister had said she would be. When she saw me, she pushed herself back into the shed, curling inward and beginning to cry. “You’re scary! I just want my mommy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I laid down and lowered my head onto my paws, trying my best to emulate a lazy cat in front of a fireplace. “She’s in the Allen’s basement. She’s waiting for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cynthia hesitated a moment, unsure if this was some kind of a trick. Then she took off past me as fast as her little legs could carry her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once she was far enough away, I stood up again and scanned the fields for a catapult, heaving a sigh. The only truly gratifying part of my assignment was now over, and it was time to follow Godfrey’s orders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The machinists were both easy to sneak up on and easy to dispatch. Easier, in fact, to dispatch than the other undead had been. If it had always been this easy, perhaps I could have joined the militia with nothing to fear. Truthfully, even the worgen had been fairly simple to handle once I’d got over my panic. As long as I was only taking on one of them at a time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t operate the catapult in cat form, so I shifted back into a worgen and examined the controls. They seemed straightforward enough, since it only seemed to have pedals, a wheel, and a pair of levers. It took me a couple of tries to figure it out, but eventually I was able to turn the catapult towards the ships.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I aimed carefully at the deck, and climbed into the basket. I couldn’t reach the lever from where I was, and there was no timed release mechanism, so I slashed through the coiling rope with my claws, and soared through the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took everything I had not to shriek in terror, but that would only alert the undead to my plans, and I definitely didn’t want to deal with reinforcements. I shifted into my cat form midair, trusting it better to land without serious injury.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When I hit the deck, I had to wait out my shock for several seconds. Once I’d established that nothing was broken and that I was fine, upright, on my feet, I started down the staircase in front of me. I had to fight my way through several more undead, but I could see the captain beneath the prow of the ship. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Too bad about that fancy hat. If you’d skipped it today, I might not have known you were my target.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He was not as easy to bring down as his men had been, but I managed, escaping quickly and jumping down off the boat to heal my wounds before his men could rally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that I knew I could do it, wrangling another catapult for myself and launching myself onto the deck was much less terrifying. I found the second captain in the same room the first one had been, wearing much the same outfit. I made a note to myself that if I were ever in charge of a fleet of ships, I should aspire not to be so predictable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I escaped the second boat and dashed back towards the cellar, dodging around Forsaken I had no desire to fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I hurried down the steps to find the mother huddled in a corner with her children, weeping with relief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you!” She said as she saw me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shook my head, “You don’t have to, I’m glad your children are safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, take these,” the mother dug a pair of leather pants out of a bag behind her. “I wish I could offer more.” She shoved the pants and a small bag of coins toward me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what to say,” I managed. The pants were nice, supple but thick leather, they’d be better armor than what I was wearing. The coin might not be much, but it was more than I’d been paid before, and since I’d grown up poor, it wouldn’t go unappreciated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose you’ve managed to dispatch the captains?” Godfrey drawled behind me, and I scowled. For a moment I’d forgotten he was present.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I turned to face him. “If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have come back. Call me whatever names you like, but I’m not a coward.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Godfrey sniffed. He glanced at the woman, who had returned to fussing over her children. “Then I suppose a reward is in order.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He handed me a somewhat larger bag of coins and a finely crafted dagger. I accepted the rewards, but less graciously. I knew he was only giving them because he felt pressured to. I’d definitely be selling the dagger to the nearest vendor. It was just as likely to find my back as it was someone else's.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have another job for you,” Godfrey announced, before I could even think to walk away. I kept my expression carefully blank and waited for him to continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a dark ranger near the coast. Take this dog whistle, and use the mastiffs to help you bring her down. I guarantee you won’t be able to take her alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I wanted to decline. I also wanted to ask what in the name of the light a dark ranger was. I didn’t do either. Monster or not, if Godfrey didn’t start treating me with more empathy and respect I was going to drown him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I heaved a sigh and took the whistle from him, turning towards the stairs and darting back out. Perhaps it was true that our world was coming apart around us, but if I had to be in Godfrey’s charge any longer I wasn’t going to be responsible for my actions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I snuck around the battling Forsaken and Gilnean militia, and found the dark ranger on a spit of land near where the boats had been docked. At least, I was fairly certain she was the dark ranger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t look a thing like the other Forsaken, in fact she was almost beautiful, with fair, unblemished skin and the pointed ears of an elf. Only her glowing red eyes gave away that something wasn’t right about her. I’d never seen an elf in person, growing up inside the city walls all this time. But I’d heard enough stories to know they existed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned her head in my direction and I crouched lower in the shadow of the wall I’d hidden myself beside. She was mounted, thus I’d stand a better chance taking her at range, with magic instead of claws, lest her horse kick me. She had two guards flanking her as well. They would have to be dealt with quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As slowly as I could I shifted my weight, working the dog whistle into my mouth. I blew a long blast on the whistle and then transformed into my worgen shape, calling a wrathbolt to hand as an entire pack of mastiffs rushed the dark ranger. I picked off one of the guards first, and then I heard one of the mastiffs yelp as the ranger shot it with an arrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fury washed over me, and I lost track of clear thought as I turned all my attention and destructive power on bringing down the dark ranger. Once she was thoroughly dead and I’d finished off the remaining guard, the red haze lifted and I turned toward the injured dog.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest had already run off, their injuries minor. I’d brought down the Forsaken fairly quickly. I swore under my breath as I pulled the arrow from the dog and it yipped again, baring its teeth to snap at me. My anger at the dark ranger evaporated almost immediately. I mean, I doubted I would have reacted any differently if I were suddenly attacked by a pack of hounds. My anger at myself, and moreso, Godfrey, rapidly grew however.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Myself because I should have foreseen this outcome and not used the whistle. There would have been higher risk to me, I might not have survived. But I was here of my own will. Mostly. The dog had simply followed my orders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Godfrey. Oh, Godfrey. I snarled, and the dog’s ears flattened against its head in submission and fear. I schooled my features regretfully and gently patted the dog as I began to work a healing spell on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Godfrey was going to get a piece of my mind when I got back. How dare he cower in some basement while he sent young women and dogs to do his dirty work. If he’d really thought I couldn’t take the dark ranger alone, he could have come to help me himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I could already hear him argue that someone had to protect the women and children. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Coward.</span>
  </em>
  <span> There were plenty of men stationed close enough to the house, and the dogs could have been of use there instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gradually, the dog’s wound began to knit itself closed beneath my hands, and I thanked Celestine for her emphasis on me learning healing before combat spells. The dog perked up as the pain left it and twisted itself to lick my arm. I let go and it took off after its packmates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I stood, shifted back into my cat form, and dashed off at full speed towards the cellar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’d just made it down the stairs and opened my mouth to give Godfrey a piece of my mind when the ground shuddered beneath my feet, and a roar with all the fury of a dragon filled my ears. I huddled against one of the walls, burying my head beneath my paws.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the ground stilled beneath me, and the rumbling roar had subsided, I lifted my head. The children were huddled in the corner opposite me with their mother, crying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What in the world was that?!” Godfrey exclaimed. “I’d have recognized cannons or catapults, you there, go see what’s going on!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I rolled my eyes, making no effort to hide it, and stood, stretching thoroughly before I headed up the stairs. I heard Godfrey grumble something when my back was turned, and flicked an ear at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Does his cowardice have no end?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I forgot my lingering resentment for Godfrey as I surfaced and saw the terrain. Or its absence. The fields and docks I’d been running over mere moments ago were gone. In their place was left ruin and water. The earthquake, because I realized now that was what it must have been, had narrowly missed swallowing up the Allen residence with all of us in it. I offered a silent thank you to the aspects of nature that it had not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prince Liam was at the very edge, hauling a half drowned militia man from the water. I made my way over to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was on my way here, I saw it happen.” Liam explained as he noticed my approach, “There’s no time to waste. Can you swim?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded. It wasn’t an overly common skill in Gilneas, and I was a little rusty, but before they’d passed, my parents had insisted I learn. I sent more silent gratitude their way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Our men are drowning, help me save as many as you can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I dove in without hesitation to prevent myself from overthinking it. I had a few moments of panic as the water closed over my head, but then my body sorted itself out, remembering subconsciously how to move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I made my way to the nearest man and began to drag him back to shore. As we surfaced, he spluttered for air, coughing violently. Liam helped hoist him out of the water, and the man managed a breathless thank you for my assistance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I repeated this several more times, receiving various expressions of gratitude. Once or twice, I had to fight off struggling undead, which was absolutely terrifying and not an experience I’d like to have again. Did they even need to breathe? Probably not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shoved aside the thought of forsaken rising out of the sea every night to kill us in our sleep, and began to haul another man towards the shore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, I owe you my life,” the man said after he’d finished expelling water from his lungs. I was almost used to hearing those words. I wondered how many more times I would hear them before my people trusted me again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I scanned the newly formed shoreline. No one was here except myself, the prince, and the men we’d managed to save. I glowered at the Allen’s cellar. I didn’t resent the woman, her children, or any of the other civilians seltering there, but Godfrey definitely ought to have shown his face by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ingrid,” the prince said, drawing my attention away from the house. “The ground isn’t stable here, we have to evacuate. Go speak with Gwen, she’ll be able to help us regroup and organize our escape.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Consider it done,” I replied, turning to dash back towards town. Anything that put distance between me and Godfrey. I was liable to kill him if I had to put up with anymore of his vitriol.</span>
</p>
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